Training Tips

At
the outset, a training program assumes you have a goal in mind.For
many recreational cyclists their goal may be achieving a particular
distance for the Around the Bay ride or other organised rides or it may
be to lose weight, improve fitness and keep up with more experienced
riders during club rides.

For
racing cyclists, their training may be focussed on rectifying any
weaknesses or enhancing strengths that last season’s racing revealed.It
is also assumed that you will be able to set aside a number of hours
each week for training while remembering not to lose sight of the
work/life balance.

Building a base

Prior
to undertaking a structured training program, it is advisable to
establish a fitness base.This will generally be achieved by lower
intensity rides which gradually build up the riding time and/or distance
- commonly referred to as building your base.

During most forms of training it is strongly recommended that any increases be gradual.

A
general rule of thumb is to add approx 10% to the distance you are
riding (or time you are riding for) each week or block, depending on
your training schedule.By making increases gradually you allow your
body time to adjust to the extra endurance required to sustain you
throughout the ride. Whilst building your base, you are concentrating
on building your cardio and general fitness to a sustainable level, so
you can then move onto the next phase and begin training to build higher
levels of fitness and strength.

Diet

During
this phase you may also wish to review your diet and perhaps even
consult with your doctor as to whether your goals are achievable.

It
is important to remember that your body needs sufficient fuel to burn
as you ride. In addition, after a training session your body also needs
the right food to assist in recovery.

Carbohydrates
are the basic fuel the body uses to give you energy prior to, during
and after cycling and proteins can help the muscles repair themselves
after a session/ride.

Depending
on how involved your training is will likely depend how much you worry
about your diet. Those racing or trying to maximise their efforts would
pay close attention to what they eat before, during and after training
sessions (and races), where recreational cyclists may do so but not to
the same degree.

Training
also involves learning what your specific food and fluid intake
requirements are, which is very important. By trying different things
during your training you will quickly learn what does and doesn’t work,
so that when you are out riding or racing you can take an appropriate
amount of food and fluid with you and be confident that this will
sustain you throughout the ride/race.

Without practicing this during training you run the risk of being under-prepared and creating issues you could easily avoid.

Keeping track of your progress

It
can also be helpful to log your ride data for each ride/session so you
can review your progress over time.A bike computer, even a basic one
that shows elapsed time and speed, is a valuable tool and will help you
keep track of the distances you are riding and how long you are riding
for.

One
option you can use to measure your improvements is to find a route of
perhaps 10-20 km (ideally without any traffic lights and minimal
traffic), where you are able to establish a base time to complete the
route.

This route can then be ridden as
required to measure your progress. As your fitness and strength
improves your time for completing the course should get faster . Of
course differences in weather and other external factors need to be
considered when comparing times, but this method is a good “basic”
measuring stick.

Structuring your training

Having
established your fitness base, which would usually consist of at least
several hundred kilometres of base training, the next step is to
undertake a structured training program.

There
are a number of websites that provide training programs or guides in
the lead up to their organised rides.For example, the BUPA website has
various ride distance programs -Training & Nutrition - Bicycle Network.

The
common link with most training programs is that they often work on four
week blocks that increase in intensity from one week to the next and
one training block to the next.Another common feature of these programs
is interval training.

Recovery
sessions are an important part of any training program as the body will
be placed under stress and adequate rest and light training rides are
essential to allow yourself to properly recover. If sessions are missed
for whatever reason, it is not the end of the world and you should not
attempt to “double up” on your next training session to compensate. You
may wish to develop a reward system as a way of keeping you motivated
during the training program.

The
type or level of training plan you undertake should be relevant to the
goals you have set for yourself.A person who is training to compete in
races or very long endurance rides would have a much harder training
schedule to someone who is looking to complete a 50-100 km organised or
social ride.

Racing
cyclists will probably follow a more structured or regimented training
program but there may be added emphasis on particular skills such as
riding hills or sprinting.

For example, if you want to improve your
ability to climb hills then you would undertake a series of hill repeats
with increasing levels of intensity.

It
is also recommended to train in adverse weather conditions (strong
wind, in the rain or even during hot summer days), so you know what to
expect should you be out on the road and caught in these conditions.

Should
you not know where to start in building a training schedule for
yourself, perhaps have a chat with some of the more experienced riders
in the club who will be able to give you an idea on where to start, or
perhaps look to engage the services of a qualified coach if your cycling
aspirations require a more specific and thorough training plan.

Variation

Another
important part of any training regime is variation. Whether that be
variations in distance, effort, terrain or routes ridden (or all of
these combined).Variation will help to keep your sessions interesting
and it keeps your body adapting to different levels of exertion. If you
were to only keep riding the same distance at the same pace on the same
route for every training session your body will become used to this.
Then, when you try to ride for longer or at a quicker pace your body
may not adapt as quickly because it hasn’t learnt to continually adapt
itself.

Quality over Quantity

One of the key principals to training is “quality over quantity”.

As
an example, once you have built your base fitness, you may be better
off doing two 30 minute sessions at a hard effort instead of doing one
60 minute session at a low to moderate effort. Depending on what aspect
you are training for will determine what is required, but once you have
built your base fitness, to improve further you will need to push your
body to adapt to riding with more effort.

This
will result in improvements to your cardio (and overall fitness) along
with both your physical and mental strength. The stronger and fitter
you become the more effort you can use when riding and for longer
periods of time, improving your endurance.

Bike fit

If
you plan on spending a number of hours on the bike, as you prepare for a
major event, it is recommended that you consider a “bike fit” to ensure
that your bike is setup so you are properly positioned on it. Being
properly positioned will make your cycling more efficient and should
minimise the stresses on your body. There are articles and videos that
can assist you if you wish to attempt this yourself or else some bike
shops and most coaches offer this service for a fee.

Picking up helpful tips or advice

Apart
from reading and searching the internet for tips, useful advice is
often offered during TV coverage of bike races. The specialist
commentators have been professional riders and will often offer insights
and tips during the broadcast. Finally if you are able to attend a
professional cycling event you could use the opportunity to direct any
questions you have to the riders or mechanics who are generally quite
helpful.